Wednesday, 18 May | PNS | NEW TEHRI
The pilgrimage to Badrinath and Kedarnath was hampered for some hours on Monday night and Tuesday due to boulder fall and the impact of rain.
The Chamoli district magistrate Himanshu Khurana informed that due to heavy rain late on Monday night, rocks fell on the national highway at Baldoda ahead of Hanumanchatti and the level of water in the Lambagad Nala increased. Due to this the movement of traffic was stopped at night. The pilgrims going towards Badrinath were halted at Peepalkoti, Chamoli, Nandprayag, Karnprayag, Gauchar and Govindghat. The administration facilitated accommodation and meals for the pilgrims at night. As soon as the weather cleared, about 115 vehicles departed from Badrinath carrying pilgrims to their destinations on Tuesday morning. Further, according to the district administration, the highway was blocked due to boulder that came down to the road at Galnau near Panchpulia near Karnprayag which resulted in traffic jam on both sides. The traffic movement was restored an hour later by 12 PM by removing the boulders with the help of JCBs.
The movement of pilgrims to Kedarnath was also disrupted for some time on Tuesday. The Rudraprayag district magistrate Mayur Dixit informed that some rocks fell from the mountainside blocking the bridle path to Kedarnath on Tuesday morning. The blockage occurred at Gaurikund at about 6 AM. The authorities deployed labourers to clear the path while pilgrims were halted at Sonprayag and Gaurikund. After working for about two hours, the workers managed to clear the path and the movement of pilgrims was restored. The district magistrate said that considering the possibility of rocks falling at the site, a warning system was also being put in place.
